A switchgear manufacturer plans to add 250 jobs over the next decade in a $168 million expansion project in Enoch in Iron County.
MCM Engineering II Inc. will grow manufacturing and product development at the site.
Founded in 1989, the company provides design, engineering fabrication and construction services for custom switchgear solutions, including power distribution centers and sheltered aisle walk-ins. The products are used in industries including utilities, mining and renewable energy.
MCM has been in Enoch since 2009. Since 2020, it has been a part of LS Electric America, a subsidiary of South Korea-based LS Electric Co. Ltd., which has more than 4,500 employees worldwide; had 2024 sales of $3.2 billion; and has offices and subsidiaries in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America.
In the past four years, MCM has grown from 46 to 89 employees and seen its revenues double and profits quadruple, according to Byron Black, chief operating officer. His comments came during a meeting of the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity board in January, when the company was approved for a rural tax credit incentive tied to the expansion project.
“LS Electric America proudly supports ‘Operation Gigawatt’ in Utah through its local operating company, MCM Engineering II,” said Charlie Chunghee Lee, president and CEO of LS Electric America and president of MCM Engineering II, referring to Gov. Spencer Cox’s initiative to double Utah’s electric generation in the next decade.
“With the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity’s support, MCM Engineering is expanding its manufacturing base, boosting production capacity, and growing its workforce, thus strengthening LS Electric America’s U.S. operations while fueling Utah’s and Iron County’s economic growth. As Iron County grows, Enoch City will emerge as the hub of our U.S. manufacturing where innovation and excellence will converge to shape the future of America’s energy industry.”
Black told the GOEO board that the company’s goal, under the name “Project Iron Hive,” is an advanced manufacturing campus. “If realized, Project Iron Hive would add four football fields of manufacturing space and have the potential to generate tens of millions in state revenue through direct and indirect impact. … This is more than an investment in MCM Engineering. It’s an investment in Utah’s future as a hub for advanced manufacturing,” Black said.
The company, he said, is committed to supporting Operation Gigawatt “and helping to meet the rapidly growing electricity demand driven by AI data centers and national security priorities,” he said. The project, he added, also could help attract additional LS manufacturing opportunities, including transformer production, to the state of Utah.
The GOEO board incentive is for up to just over $3.6 million over 10 years. The project is expected to generate new wages of nearly $107.9 million during that time, based on average wages of $59,710. New state tax revenue is projected to be $12 million during that time.
David Johnson, economic development director for Cedar City and Iron County, said the company is creating a significant number of new jobs and a significant increase in capital spending and square footage. The expansion, he said, could help shorten the time for companies to receive electrical equipment, thus boosting the supply chain.
“We are so grateful to have MCM Engineering here, not only with their expansion but the benefits that they could really have statewide,” he said.
“We’re excited for what you’ll be able to do for Iron County and look forward to hopefully having you back at a future incentives meeting where we can help in the next expansion,” Jesse Turley, chairman of the GOEO incentives committee, told Black.
“MCM Engineering’s expansion is a testament to the strength of Utah’s advanced manufacturing sector and our commitment to rural economic growth,” Jefferson Moss, executive director of GOEO, said in a news release about the project. “By expanding its footprint in Enoch City, MCM is not only creating hundreds of high-paying jobs, but also strengthening our capacity to build and maintain critical infrastructure that powers utilities, mining and renewables.”
MCM’s expansion project incentive was one of two incentives approved at the GOEO board’s January meeting under the state’s Rural Economic Development Tax Increment Financing program.
“Rural communities are central to our economic future,” Moss said. “These investments in Iron and Uintah counties demonstrate how the REDTIF program cultivates long-term stability by supporting industries that build and power our state. By strengthening our infrastructure and manufacturing cores, we are creating high-quality jobs and ensuring shared prosperity for Utahns today and for generations to come.”
GOEO does not provide upfront cash incentives. Each year that an incentivized company meets the obligations in its contract with GOEO, it will qualify to receive a portion of the new, additional state taxes the company paid to the state.